USA > New York > Herkimer County > Gazetteer and business directory of Herkimer County, N.Y. for 1869-70 > Part 13
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The population of the town in 1865 was 1,080; its area is 21,- 942 acres.
There are ten school districts, employing eleven teachers. The number of children of school age is 484; the number attending school is 366; the average attendance, 186, and the amount ex- pended for school purposes during the year ending September 30, 1868, was $4,213.40.
OHIO, named from the State of Ohio, was formed from Nor- way, as West Brunswick, April 11th, 1823. Its name was changed May 3d, 1836, and a part of Wilmurt was taken off the same year. It lies in the interior of the County, on the north border of the set- tlements. The surface is moderately hilly, with an elevation of from 700 to 900 feet above Mohawk River. A range of high steep hills extends through the north part. It is drained by West Cana- da and Black Creeks and their tributaries. The soil is a sandy loam with some clay, well adapted to grazing. The principal ex- ports are cheese, potatoes, lumber and tanbark. Large crops of potatoes are raised which are famous in the market for their good quality. In the north-east part there are several thousand acres of forest, heavily timbered, and possessing an excellent soil.
Gray, (p. o.) situated partly in this town, contains a hotel, a cabinet shop, a blacksmith shop, a carriage shop and about a dozen dwellings on the Ohio side.
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Ohio City, (Ohio p. o.) is a hamlet containing a Methodist church.
Dutch Settlement contains two churches.
There are ten saw mills in the town.
This town was settled previous to the close of the Revolutionary war, by - Mount, on lot 50 of the Jerseyfield Patent. During the war he was attacked by Indians and his two sons killed. He and his wife and daughter escaped and never returned to his farm. His buildings, including a mill on Mill Creek, were subsequently burned. The time of this occurrence is not known. Mr. David Thorp moved to the Mount farm soon after the war and lived there many years. John Miller, - Warner, Aaron Thorp, Har- manns Van Epps, and others were early settlers.
David Thorp kept the first inn, and Ephraim Ash the first store, in 1820.
The infamous Tory, Walter N. Butler, was killed about two miles above the junction of Black and West Canada Creeks, near the line between Ohio and Russia, Dec. 30, 1781.
The population in 1865 was 928; its area is 33,513 acres.
There are seven school districts, employing the same number of teachers. The number of children of school age is 335; the num- ber attending school 229; the average attendance 97, and the amount expended for school purposes during the year ending Sep- tember 30, 1868, was $1,293.46.
RUSSIA was formed from Norway, as Union, April 7, 1806. Its name was changed April 6, 1808. A part of Wilmurt was taken off in 1836. It lies on the west border of the County, north of the Mohawk, and extends to the border of the great northern wilderness. Its surface is rolling and moderately hilly, and on the west descends abruptly to the valley of West Canada Creek. The hills are from 800 to 1,000 feet above the Mohawk. West Canada and Black Creeks flow west through the north-west part, the former forming a part of the west boundary. Extensive lumber works have been erected on this stream. Trenton Falls, upon West Canada Creek, are on the west border. The soil is a sandy and clayey loam.
Russia, (p. v.) in the south part of the town, contains two churches, viz., Union and Baptist; a union store, a tin and hard- ware store, a school house and about 100 inhabitants.
Gravesville, (p. v.) named in honor of Wm. Graves, who erected the mills, is situated in the south-west part and contains two churches, viz., Methodist and Universalist ; a store, a furniture man- ufactory, a wool carding and cloth dressing mill, a grist mill, two
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saw mills, a cheese box factory, a wagon shop, a blacksmith shop and about 100 inhabitants.
Cold Brook, (p. v.) in the south part, contains a Methodist church, a hotel, a union store, a grocery, a planing mill, a cheese box factory, a grist mill, two wagon shops, two blacksmith shops, a cabinet shop, a saw set factory and 155 inhabitants.
Grant, (p. v.) located on Black Creek, near the center of the town, contains two churches, viz., Methodist and Union ; a hotel, two stores, a tannery, two saw mills, a grist mill and 85 in- habitants.
Poland, (p. v.) located on West Canada Creek, in the south part, contains a F. W. Baptist church, a store, a hotel, a grist and saw mill, a tannery, a'sash and blind factory, a wagon shop, two black- smith shops, a cheese box factory, a cabinet shop, a manufactory of bootjacks and ladders, and about 200 inhabitants.
The Poland Tannery was established in 1839 and has a capacity for tanning 130 sides of leather or 600 calf skins per week.
The Cheese Factory was established in 1863, by a stock company, and has a capacity for manufacturing the milk of 800 cows.
Between Poland and Cold Brook are several manufacturing es- tablishments, viz., I. & G. W. Trask's ax and edge tool factory, Stillman's patent saw set factory, D. P. Vincent's cheese box fac- tory, and Thomas T. Rhode's saw and plane handle factory.
Gang Mills is situated in the north-west part of the town, on West Canada Creek. It received its name from the extensive mills of Hinkley & Ballou, erected here in 1848. These mills have a capacity to manufacture ten million feet of lumber annually. The capital invested in mills and improved farms is about $150,- 000, and give employment to from 100 to 150 men. The im- proved machinery recently constructed by Mr. J. N. Walters, the Superintendent, gives these mills a place among the first in the State. The logs to supply the mills are cut and floated down West Canada Creek from the north part of Herkimer and Hamilton Countie's, a distance of from twelve to forty miles. Besides these mills the village contains three stores, two smith's shops, a tan- nery, a cabinet shop, several other mechanic shops and about 250 inhabitants.
The settlement of this town was commenced in 1792, by Stodard Squires. Jonathan Millington, from Vermont, - Smith, Farley Fuller, George Taylor, Roscum Slocum, William Buck; Jeremiah Smith, Jotham Carpenter, -,' Austin and son, and - Coon, were among the other early settlers. Mr. Squires was from Con- necticut, and his son, John G. Squires, then seven years of age, re- sided for more than fifty years on the same farm upon which his
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father located. Settlers came in quite rapidly for several years af- ter the first opening was made.
The first marriage was that of Farley Fuller and Minerva Smith, in 1794; the first death that of a son of Mr. Allen, and the second that of Waite Robinson. The first school was taught by Morehouse, at Graves Hollow. Another school was taught about the same time by - Steund. The first inn was kept by Jotham Carpenter, and the first store by Mr. Swintburn, about a mile north-west of Cold Brook, in 1797. The first saw mill was built in 1797, and the first grist mill, by Benjamin Hinman, the same year.
The first settlers were compelled to go to Utica or Little Falls to have their grain ground. Jonathan Millington, from Shaftsbury, Vt., settled in the town in 1797, and James Barker, from Massa- chusetts, in 1803.
The first religious services were held by Rev. Benajah Corp, of the F. W. Baptist denomination.
The population of the town in 1865 was 2,030; its area is 37,- 396 acres.
There are sixteen school districts, employing the same number of teachers. The number of children of school age is 695; the num- ber attending school, 559; the average attendance, 227, and the amount expended for school purposes during the year ending Sep- tember 30, 1868, was $4,410.93.
SALISBURY, named from Salisbury, Connecticut, the former residence of many of the first settlers, was formed from Palatine, Montgomery County, March 3, 1797, and annexed from Montgomery County, April 7, 1817. It lies on the east border of the County and extends north into the great wilderness. The sur- face is a broken and mountainous upland in the north, and hilly in the south. Only a small part is cultivated. The principal streams are East Canada Creek, which forms a part of the east boundary, and Spruce Creek, which flows through the south-west and south parts. The soil is a sandy and clayey loam. A bed of iron ore has been worked to some extent on lot 105, fourth allotment of the Royal Grant, about three miles north of Salisbury center.
Salisbury Center, (p. v.) situated on Spruce Creek, contains two churches, viz., Methodist and Baptist; a hotel, two stores, a grist mill, two saw mills, a peg factory, capable of doing $40,000 worth of business annually, and about 300 inhabitants.
Salisbury Corners, (Salisbury p. o.) contains two churches, viz., Baptist and Presbyterian ; a hotel, a store, a blacksmith shop, a wagon shop and about 100 inhabitants.
Devereaux, upon East Canada Creek, contains two hotels, two stores and about a dozen dwellings.
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This town includes part of the Jerseyfield Patent and parts of the first, second and fourth allotments of the Royal Grant, and was settled by tenants of Sir William Johnson before the Revolution. Tracts of land in this town were assigned by Sir William to several of his Indian children. As most of the settlers upon the Royal Grant adhered to the King during the war, their lands were for- feited to the Government. Daniel Lobdell and several sons lived in the western part of the town, and went to Canada, where one of them was the servant of a British officer. After his return to the United States he was pensioned for services in the war. It would be quite entertaining to learn how he proved his services rendered to the colonies. John Faville and Cornelius Lamberson settled near Burrill's Corners about 1788, and Asa Sheldon and Abijah Ford about 1793. Abial Pratt, Stephen Todd, Jabez Ayers, Jon- athan Cole, - - Bidwell, Ira Bartholomew, Atwater Cook, Amos Ives, Moses De Witt, Jonathan Hallet, - Low and others, were early settlers. Rev. Caleb Alexander, who visited the place in 1801, says the population was 1,694.
The first birth was that of John Ford ; the first school was taught by Elizabeth Rice, and the first inn and store were kept by Aaron Hackler.
The population of the town in 1865 was 2,123; its area is 68,640 acres.
There are fourteen school districts, employing the same number of teachers. The number of children of school age is 797; the number attending school, 596; the average attendance, 273, and the amount expended for school purposes during the year ending September 30, 1868, was $3,196.53.
SCHUYLER was formed from Herkimer, April 10, 1792. Trenton was taken off in 1797, Deerfield, Oneida County, in 1798, and a part of Newport in 1806. A part was annexed from Her- kimer in 1808, and re-annexed to Herkimer in 1811. It lies on the west border of the County, north of the Mohawk. Its surface is hilly. The Hasenclever Mountains extend through the center, rising to the hight of from 1,000 to 1,200 feet above tide. A broad intervale extends along the Mohawk, which forms the south boun- dary. Its streams are tributaries of the Mohawk and generally flow through narrow ravines. These flats are annually overflowed. The soil upon the hills is slaty and gravelly. Farmers are engaged largely in dairying.
East Schuyler, (p. v.) in the south-east part, contains about twenty houses.
West Schuyler, (p. v.) in the south-west part of the town, con- tains two churches and about twenty dwellings.
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There are five churches in the town. Several places in the town are locally known as The Bush, The Short Lots and The Windfall.
This town embraces Kast's Patent and parts of Cosby's Manor and Hasenclever's and Walton's Patents. The first settlement was made by a small number of Germans brought from the Kingdom of Wirtembergh, by Peter Hasenclever, about 1765. It is said that they worked three years to pay the expense of their passage. They settled at what is now known as East Schuyler and named the place New Petersburgh, in honor of their patron. In 1769 Ha- senclever and eighteen others obtained a grant of 18,000 acres be- tween the Mohawk River and West Canada Creek. As early as 1766 there was a store on Cosby's Manor. Among the early set- tlers were John Wolff, who resided on the Manor, and families named Kast, Staring, Widrig, Rymour, Lintz, Bridenbecker, Bargy, Clemens, Finster and Oyer. - Hasenclever had a store near where Daniel I. Bridenbecker now lives, and erected an ashery on land now owned by Luther Staring. This ashery was probably the first frame building in the town, and was afterwards used as a place of public worship. Johan Kast was an early settler, and tra- dition says that the land embraced in his patent was obtained of the Indians for a keg of rum, and the title confirmed by the King. This Patent, lying within the bounds of Cosby's Manor, made some of the lots in the Manor much shorter than the remainder, and they were therefore called "Short Lots."
In common with other towns along the Mohawk valley, Schuyler suffered from the ravages of Tories and Indians. Their houses were burned, their crops destroyed, some of the inhabitants killed and others taken prisoners. To protect themselves against these incursions the settlers inclosed a piece of land with pickets ten or twelve feet high, which they called the Fort. Several log houses were built inside of this for the accommodation of families. This was erected where Luther Staring now resides.
The first framed building for a school house was erected on the site of the school house in district No. 4, and was paid for by vol- untary contributions. It was constructed with a pulpit and used as a place of worship by the Lutherans, who constituted the prin- cipal part of the population. John Finster built the first saw mill. He died in 1855 at the age of 96, upon the farm which he first pur- chased. His sons, Peter and Philip, aged respectively 78 and 76 years, still own and occupy the same farm. Thomas Wood was one of the early settlers at West Schuyler, and died at an advanced age. A Mr. Brown built a grist mill and a tavern there at an early day. Thomas Burch, another early settler, erected a tannery and became wealthy. He left a large family at his death. Several families from the New England States settled on the Short Lots about the year 1800. Among them were families named Budlong,
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Ladd, Richardson and Rose. Mr. Rose was from Connecticut and started with an ox-sled, but owing to a thaw was compelled to finish his journey on wheels made by sawing the end from a large log. Haywood Minott and Richard Jones were among the first settlers of the Bush. As early as 1757 there was a good carriage road on the north bank of the river, from the crossing, where Utica now stands, to the Palatine village, German Flats. It was upon this road that the French and Indians, under M. de Belletre, passed while on their expedition, burning all the buildings from Kast's Patent to the Palatine village.
Judge Henri Staring lived for many years in this town and died here. He was a true patriot and a bold defender of the rights of the colonies. Upon the organization of the County he was ap- pointed First Judge of the Court of Common Pleas. He was an honest man and administered justice according to his ideas of right with but little regard to law as expounded by the advocates at the Bar.
The story of the Yankee Pass, which has had so wide a circula- tion throughout the country, is related as follows by Judge Benton in his History of Herkimer County : "One Sunday morning the Judge saw a man on horseback coming along the highway from the west, and presuming that no one would venture openly to violate the laws of the State, unless justified by the exception named in the statute, he asked the man to stop, and seeing he was a stranger, in- quired of him the reasons why he was thus disregarding his duty and the requirements of the law. The stranger, who is reported to have been a New England Yankee, did not excuse his conduct to the Judge's satisfaction, and declining to stop over until the next day, the latter exacted the payment of the fine of six York shillings imposed by the statute for the infringement of this branch of it. After paying his fine, the traveler asked the Judge to give him a certificate to that effect, urging the necessity of it to protect him against being again called to account by some other magistrate. The Judge had no doubt heard of dispensations and indulgences from the lips of his parents. He thought the request reasonable, and told the traveler to write one and he would sign it. This was done and the stranger proceeded on his journey eastward. Some few months after this occurrence, the Judge having occasion to visit the Messrs. Kanes, merchants at Canajoharie, on matters of busi- ness, was requested by them to pay an order of twenty-five dollars which he had several months before drawn on them, as appeared from the date. It is said he was much surprised by this demand made upon his purse, and at first denied having given the order, but finding the signature to be his own hand-writing, and making particular inquiries in respect to the presentation of the order and the individual who brought it to the store, he came to the conclu-
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sion that the paper presented to him for payment was no other than the one he had signed allowing the traveler to continue his journey on Sunday after paying his fine. It was then called the Yankee Pass, from a supposition that no one but a native of New England had the cunning and audacity to practice so keen and so grave a joke."
A little daughter of Judge Staring, about ten years old, was taken prisoner by the Indians and carried away during the war, but was recovered at its close.
The population of the town in 1865 was 1,589; its area is 24,- 990 acres.
STARK, named in honor of General Stark, of the Revolu- tion, was formed from Danube, March 18, 1828. It is the south- east corner town of the County. Its surface is hilly and broken, with a mean elevation of 500 feet above the Mohawk. The princi- pal streams are Otsquago and Nawadaga Creeks. Otsquago Creek flows through a narrow valley, bordered by steep banks from 150 to 200 feet high. The soil is generally a sandy loam in the val- leys, and sandy and gravelly on the hills.
Starkville, (p. v.) situated in the north-east part of the town, contains three churches, viz., Lutheran, Baptist and Methodist ; two hotels, a store, a grist mill, a saw mill, a flax mill, a cheese factory, two cooper shops, several other mechanic shops of various kinds and about 40 dwellings.
Van Hornesville, (p. v.) in the south part of the town, on Ots- quago Creek, contains a union church, two hotels, two stores, a cotton factory, a grist mill with three runs of stones, a saw mill, a cheese box factory, a cheese factory, a cigar factory and about 35 dwellings. The creek furnishes an excellent water-power, as it is fed by springs and is affected but little by dry weather.
Bethel, in the west part of the town, contains a Lutheran church, a store, a cheese box factory, a saw mill, several mechanic shops and about twenty dwellings.
Starkville Cheese Factory makes about 250,000 pounds annually ; the grist mill contains three runs of stones and grinds about 12,000 bushels, and the saw mill cuts about 200,000 feet annually.
A short distance from Bethel is a beautiful water-fall about forty feet high, upon a stream arising from a single spring. A short dis- tance from the falls is a mineral spring containing iron, and also a sulphur spring which never freezes.
There were two small settlements near the southerly line of the town previous to 1775. One of them was on Otsquago Creek and called the Otsquago Settlement, comprising families by the name
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of Shall, Bronner and Fetherly. The other settlement was at the Kyle, so called, a short distance from the east line of the town of Warren. A family by the name of Eckler were located here ; but both settlements were broken up during the war, the inhabitants taking shelter in Fort Plank. Eckler returned to his farm at the close of the war, and the premises have been transmitted from father to son down to the third generation. Among other settlers were families by the name of Walwrath, Young, Van Horne and others.
Abraham Van Horne with his family settled here in 1791, and erected mills at the head waters of Otsquago Creek. It is said that two runs of Esopus mill stones for a grist mill were drawn through the woods from the Mohawk River on a wood sled by four horses. Mr. Van Horne came from New Jersey in 1771, and settled in Montgomery County. He was a member of the Tryon County Committee of Safety in June, 1775, was appointed Sheriff in 1781, and was a firm adherent of the American cause.
The first German school was taught by - Garner, and the first English school by - Haight. As already intimated Mr. Van Horne built the first mills, and his sons kept the first store.
The Baptist Church was organized Nov. 6, 1829, with eleven members.
The Lutheran Church was organized Dec. 9th, 1839. Both so- cieties occupy the same house of worship.
The Methodist Church was organized in 1860 with seventy mem- bers. A part of them having since united with the Newville so- ciety, the present membership is fifty.
The population in 1865 was 1,522; the area is 18,014 acres.
WARREN, named in honor of General Joseph Warren, who fell at the battle of Bunker Hill, was formed from German Flats, February 5, 1796. Columbia was taken off in 1812. It lies cen- trally on the south border of the County. The surface is hilly, the highest points being from 500 to 800 feet above the Mohawk. The principal stream is Fish Creek, which flows south and is bor- dered by steep banks from 100 to 200 feet high. Mud Lake, in the east, and Weaver's and Young's Lakes, in the south, are small bodies of water. The soil is a sandy and clayey loam. There are two small sulphur springs in town.
Jordanville, (p. v.) situated a little north of the center, contains two churches, viz., Methodist and Baptist; two stores, a public hall, several mechanic shops and about forty dwellings.
Little Lakes (Warren p. o.) contains a church, a hotel, a store, a carriage shop, several other shops of various kinds and twenty-five
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dwellings. Near this place is the saw mill and horse-rake factory of W. R. Wall; the mill cuts about 100,000 feet annually and about fifty rakes are made for the retail trade.
Warren Cheese Factory makes 90,000 pounds annually.
The Cheese Factory at Warren Center, owned by Daniel Tilden, turns out about 100,000 pounds annually.
Wetherbee's Mills are located in the south-west part of the town. The grist mill contains four runs of stones and grinds .50,000 bushels annually ; the saw mill cuts about 200,000 feet annually.
In the north-west part of the town is an estate of 1500 acres owned by Mrs. H. D. Cruger, of New York. A mansion house and thirteen tenant houses are upon the farm, called the Hender- son Home.
Settlements were commenced here previous to the Revolution, by Germans from the upper valley. Andrustown and the Little Lakes were the principal points occupied. Andrustown was plun- dered and burned by Brant in July, 1778; a part of the inhab- itants were killed and others carried into captivity. Youngs Set- tlement at the Lakes was spared on account of the Tory principles of the proprietor; but the Americans soon after plundered and burned the place in retaliation.
In March, 1792, Samuel Cleland, from Colchester, Massachusetts, came into this town and settled with his family. This was the first New England family that immigrated to this place. Mr. Cleland's five sons, Norman, Salmon, Jonas, Martin and Moses, settled here at the same time. Danforth Abbott, Hugh Panell, Amos Allen, Elder Phineas Holcomb, Richard Schooley Hull, Thomas, James and Garret Abeel and - Thayer, were early settlers.
Stephen Luddington kept the first inn, Outhout & Vrooman the first store, and Isaac Freeman built the first grist mill, in 1795.
Mr. Cleland settled near Andrustown, and near the ruins of a dwelling he found the bones of a man, which he buried. These were supposed to be the bones of a Mr. Bellinger, who escaped to his house when the settlement was burned by the Tories and In- dians during the Revolution, and preferred to meet death by burn- ing in his dwelling rather than fall into the hands of the Indians, to suffer captivity, torture and death at their hands, as did many of the early settlers of Herkimer County.
Elder Phineas Holcomb was the first settled minister about 1793. A Baptist Church was organized at Jordanville in 1799 ; a Metho- dist Church at Little Lakes in 1854, and a Reformed Church in the north part in 1831.
The population of the town in 1865 was 1,611; its area is 23,- 405 acres.
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